title: Characteristics of cortical activation in schizophrenia during the card game "concentration".
abstract: Various functional imaging studies have demonstrated reduced lateralization of cortical activation during neurocognitive tasks in schizophrenia. -A well-known card game, "concentration", reflects working memory (WM). We compared characteristics of hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal to temporo-parietal areas of the brain during this card game between 24 outpatients with schizophrenia and 24 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. Using multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy, we measured relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (oxy-Hb changes), which reflects brain activity during this task. Patients showed reduced lateralization in the midfrontal area, which is involved in executive functions, and in the inferior parietal area, involved in WM subcomponents. We also found a significant negative correlation between left midfrontal region oxy-Hb changes and severity of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Our results characterized disease-related features, suggesting the usefulness of oxy-Hb change measurement during this card game for assessing functional outcome in schizophrenic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan. fujiki_ryou@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fujiki
authors.forename: Kiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.forename: Keiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Chizuko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kawabe
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Naohisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uchimura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen